Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Thatched barnacleSemibalanus carious
Largest of or three common barnacles; grows to two inches diameter,
taller than wide. Outer plates are usually "thatched" with ropey lines
down sides. The dominant barnacle at lower tide levels, their lower
limit often determined by the voracious Purple Sea Star. (Marine
Wildlife of Puget Sound, the San Juans, and the Strait of Georgia)

Nanaimo scientist heads survey into secret lives of salmon
An international team of scientists is heading to the Gulf of Alaska for
a ground-breaking research survey to uncover the secret lives of
Pacific salmon in the winter. Discoveries coming out of a 25-day
research cruise using a trawler in the North Pacific are expected to
help countries do a better job of managing, conserving and restoring
salmon stocks, including improving forecasting of returns.... Renowned
scientist Richard Beamish is spearheading the organization of the
$1-million-plus research survey, funded by non-profit organizations, the
private sector and governments. It is a key project of the
International Year of the Salmon initiative from the North Atlantic
Salmon Conservation Organization and other groups. Carla Wilson reports.
(Times Colonist)

RCMP break up northern B.C. First Nation’s pipeline checkpoints
The RCMP have breached a gate that a northern B.C. First Nation had
erected to block access to a natural-gas pipeline project. Officers
broke through a blockade on Morice River Forest Service Road, southwest
of Houston, on Monday afternoon to enforce a B.C. Supreme Court
injunction order, arresting 14 people, said RCMP. A post on the
Wet’suwet’en Access Point Facebook page claimed police broke through the
checkpoint gate with “brutal force.” It said protesters were expected
to be taken to provincial court in Prince George. The checkpoint was one
of two manned by members of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation. Jennifer
Saltman reports.

Electric ferries cleaner and quieter—but not in the way orcas need most
Gov. Jay Inslee wants Washington state ferries to switch to electricity.
The governor wants the state legislature to pay for two new electric
ferries this year and to convert two others. Inslee is proposing to
spend $117 million on electric ferries. Inslee said the cleaner, quieter
boats would help the climate and the region’s endangered orcas. While
electric boats emit less air pollution than diesel ferries do, it’s
unclear how much good four battery-powered boats serving Seattle-area
commuter runs would do for the noise-sensitive whales. Most underwater
noise generated by ships, including the 23 state ferries, comes from
their spinning propellers, not their rumbling engines. John Ryan
reports. (KUOW) See also: Washington State Ferries reveals plan for younger, greener fleet Tom Banse reports. (NW News Network)

Creosote-treated logs to be removed from Seahurst Park in Burien
The Washington State Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will be
removing creosote-treated logs that have washed up on the beach at
Seahurst Park in Burien. The DNR, working in collaboration with the City
of Burien, will begin removing the logs in January as part of a
statewide program to clean up Washington shorelines. Crews will
periodically visit the park to collect the logs and cut them into
smaller pieces. Tarps will be used to prevent any debris from cutting
the logs from getting onto the beach. (KING)

Hornby Island organization calls for moratorium on Pacific herring fishery
A local conservation group is asking the federal government to put a
moratorium on its Pacific herring roe fishery planned for March 2019.
Conservancy Hornby Island, a small volunteer non-profit organization on
Hornby Island, is concerned with the long-term sustainability of the
land and marine resources of the island. In recent years, the group has
been focused on the sea life around the island and the importance of
Pacific Herring for this sea life. According to the organization,
Fisheries and Oceans Canada (DFO) is preparing to approve the catch of
20 percent of all the herring that spawn in the Georgia Strait, which it
says is the last viable herring roe fishery on the coast. Conservancy
Hornby Island believes that this is being done without considering what
impact this may have on all the other sea creatures that rely on this
one species of forage fish. Troy Landreville reports. (MyComoxValleyNow)

An Engineering Wunderkind's Ocean Plastics Cleanup Device Hits A Setback
The path to innovation is not always a smooth, straight line. In some
cases, it’s U-shaped. In September, a 2,000-foot-long floating barrier,
shaped like a U, was dispatched to the Great Pacific garbage patch
between Hawaii and California, where roughly 1.8 trillion pieces of
plastic have formed a floating field of debris roughly twice the size of
Texas. Made of connected plastic pipes, the barrier was meant to catch
and clean-up the plastic. Invented by Boyan Slat when he was just 17,
the barrier has so far done some of what it was designed to accomplish.
It travels with wind and wave propulsion, like a U-shaped Pac-Man hungry
for plastic. It orients itself in the wind and it catches and
concentrates plastic, sort of. But as Slat, now 24, recently discovered
with the beta tester for his design, plastic occasionally drifts out of
its U-shaped funnel. The other issue with the beta tester, called System
001, is that last week, a 60-feet-long end section broke off. Michel
Martin and Amanda Morris report. (NPR)

Operations suspended at B.C.'s Mount Polley mine
Imperial Metals says it's suspending all operations at B.C.'s Mount
Polley mine because of declining copper prices. Operations at the mine,
located about 230 kilometres northwest of Kamloops, are expected to stop
by the end of May, according to the Vancouver-based company. Mount
Polley was the site of one of the biggest spills in B.C. history when a
tailings dam collapsed in August 2014, sending 24 million cubic metres
of mine waste and sludge into nearby waterways. (CBC)

Incredible 'sea monster' skull revealed in 3D
Some 200 million years ago in what is now Warwickshire, a dolphin-like
reptile died and sank to the bottom of the sea. The creature's burial
preserved its skull in stunning detail - enabling scientists to
digitally reconstruct it. The fossil, unveiled in the journal PeerJ,
gives a unique insight into the life of an ichthyosaur. The ferocious
creature would have fed upon fish, squid and likely others of its kind.
Helen Briggs reports. (BBC)

Now, your tug weather--
West Entrance U.S. Waters Strait Of Juan De Fuca-
648 AM PST Tue Jan 8 2019
GALE WARNING IN EFFECT THROUGH THIS AFTERNOON
SMALL CRAFT ADVISORY TONIGHT AND WEDNESDAY
TODAY
E wind 25 to 35 kt. Combined seas 8 to 11 ft with a
dominant period of 11 seconds. A chance of rain in the morning
then rain in the afternoon.
TONIGHT
E wind 20 to 25 kt. Wind waves 2 to 4 ft. W swell 6 ft
at 12 seconds building to 9 ft at 14 seconds after midnight.
Rain.

--
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Salish Sea Communications provides communications and public relations services that raise visibility and engage audiences. Drawing on over 30 years experience in private, public and not-for-profit work, Mike Sato brings to you his skills and insights in developing and carrying out your print, electronic and social media projects and products. "I've been in the communications business since 1977 starting with community weekly newspapers then working for Seattle City Light, the Puget Sound Water Quality Authority, Hawaiian Electric Company and, for 20 years, People For Puget Sound." Salish Sea Communications: Truth Well Told. WA State UBI #601395482